Spring 1996 Volume II Issue 2

Dr. Ernst Schneider is a man who is extremely confident and ultimately at ease with himself and the world around him. And, for this, he makes no apologies. As the 74-year-old owner of Davidoff of Geneva and director general of Davidoff's parent corporation, Max Oettinger, Co., he is a man with few equals, and it is reasonable to state that he is sitting on top of the world. Having acquired Davidoff of Geneva in 1970, Schneider chose to stay in the background, allowing Zino Davidoff to bask in the limelight, while Schneider quietly and diligently worked to make Davidofff of Geneva the powerhouse that it remains today.

So, what is Davidoff of Geneva? As most people know, it is a line of one of the most exclusive cigars in the world; but it is also a retail chain of 32 stores (some corporate owned, some franchised, but all under the tight control of Schneider and his company); it is a licensing agreement with Landcaster, the German fragrance house whose line includes Davidoff Cool Water, the number one fragrance in the world for 1993 and 1994, and will assuredly be among the top three of 1995. Of course, Davidoff is more -- much more, but it is best to hear that from Dr. Schneider himself.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Schneider during his recent trip to New York. As he reached out to shake my hand he asked, ""What sign are you?" Because this is not a question I usually hear froma man -- let alone a conservatively dressed European gentleman -- I was slightly stumped, but managed to mutter, "Cancer."

"Ah," he replied, "the crab ... well, I am Pisces, the fish." To which he added, "For those I love I am a goldfish, and for all others I am a shark." thus began my conversations with a man who, after Zino's death some two years ago, has opted to come out of the shadows and become his company's spokeman as well as its driving force.

See the remainder of this article in SMOKE magazine - available at a tobacconist or newsstand near you!